love in wonderland
by louisarmstrong
Summary: There's Christmas music faintly playing in the background and Cat bounces happily as they await for the door to open, and Sam is now certain as to why there are so many suicides during the holiday season. Or, Cat drags Sam to a Christmas party. Sort of. / SamCat


love in wonderland

( There's Christmas music faintly playing in the background and Cat bounces happily as they await for the door to open, and Sam is now certain as to why there are so many suicides during the holiday season. | Or, Cat drags Sam to a Christmas party. Sort of. )

* * *

"Christmas parties," Sam begins as they step onto the elevator, "are not my thing."

Cat blinks at her. "I know, which is why I told you not to come," she reminds her, pressing the floor button, giggling as the elevator dings and closes. "_Ding_."

Sam huffs. "I didn't think you'd be able to make it home on your own. You get lost on the way to school."

Cat pouts. "Okay, for the record, that was only _one _time," she states petulantly. "And anyways, I think you actually wanted to come. I think you might actually like Christmas parties."

Sam might actually would like to shove Cat into the box containing their gift and wrap her as the present instead, but considering that's physically impossible and, fine, a _little _rude, Sam just grits her teeth."Please. Don't push it."

Cat just giggles, happily singing Christmas songs until they arrive to their floor, thank God, because Sam was about five seconds away from strangling her. Cat grabs Sam's hand and skips down the hallway, all but tugging Sam along. Her hand feels fuzzy with warmth and Sam decides to blame it on the lack of circulation from Cat's surprisingly strong death grip, focusing on not running into a wall from Cat's haphazard movements down the hallway.

They finally arrive at their destination, Cat ringing the doorbell three times. "Ding-dong," she chirps happily, still holding onto Sam's hand.

There's Christmas music faintly playing in the background and Cat bounces happily as they await for the door to open, and Sam is now certain as to why there are so many suicides during the holiday season. The doors are opened and they're greeted by a lady wearing a hideous sweater with a Christmas tree on it, that, to Sam's horror, lights up, and a cat on her shoulder.

"Valentine!" She exclaims, taking the gift from Cat's hand and pulls her in for a hug. Their hands are still attached, and Sam pulls away awkwardly, ignoring the increasing temperature on her cheeks. It's only sixty-three degrees outside, there's no reason for the heat to even be on. The lady pulls away, smiling at Sam. "And who's this?"

Cat beams, gripping Sam's arm and pushing her forward. "My friend Sam. She claims that she doesn't like Christmas," Cat whispers sympathetically, as if not liking Christmas is some rare disease Sam's infected with.

Sam glares at her before looking back at the lady. "I'm only in it for the presents."

Cat whimpers, burying her face in her hands and shakes her head as if Sam's statement physically pains her.

The lady just laughs. "Oh, well. I'm sure you'll change your mind after this party," she says with certainty, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

Cat pulls Sam in close, whispering, "Her parties are _magical_."

Sam snorts. "Yeah, so is my - "

"Okay, Judith, we're gonna go up to the loft now!" Cat announces quickly, giving Judith one last hug before tugging Sam into the apartment and up the stairs. From what Sam sees, there are only adults on the first floor, happily drinking wine and exchanging Christmas presents. Sam can't help the pained groan that escapes her throat. Cat looks back at her, rolling her eyes. "Judith's parties are _fun_," she reiterates, intertwining their fingers, giving them a squeeze. "At least try to have fun."

Sam looks down at their hands. "Am I supposed to be your date?" she asks jokingly, but the way Cat's face falls tells her that it wasn't a particularly good one.

"Oh! I'm - no. Um," Cat sputters, pulling away from her. "I'm sorry. I just thought -"

Sam smiles tightly, choosing to laugh off her nerves. "It's alright, kid," she says easily. "I wouldn't have minded."

Cat blushes, very briefly, before gesturing towards the door. "Ready?"

Sam shrugs. "I mean, I guess," she responds with boredom, following Cat into the room.

The loft is decorated with blinding Christmas lights of all variety, a Christmas tree right in the middle of the room as ornaments dangle down from the ceiling, fake, powdery snowflakes falling from the ceiling as well.

"Why does this room look like the North Pole." Sam states, disgusting settling in her stomach.

But Cat's grinning excitedly, clapping her hands together. "It's like a Christmas wonderland," she says dreamily, gripping Sam's hand excitedly.

"It looks like Santa Claus's elves threw up all over this room," Sam corrects.

"It's beautiful."

"It's _horrible._" Sam mutters under her breath, allowing herself to be tugged towards the Christmas tree, where most of the party-goers are dancing. The room is lit with hundreds of Christmas lights, yet still manages to be dark enough that Sam finds herself feeling around for the rest of Cat's arm, holding onto the fabric of Cat's ugly holiday sweater.

Cat whips around, her hands coming to rest on Sam's shoulders. "Dance with me," she breathes, her brown eyes glowing from the Christmas lights reflecting against them.

Sam forces herself to look away, looks past her at the dangling lights. "I thought I wasn't your date," she says, but still places her hands on her waist.

Cat shrugs, pulling her closer. "I changed my mind," she replies with ease, and Sam couldn't protest even if she tried. They sway for a bit, before the music picks up to the tune of some pop-ish holiday song, and now Cat has them dancing. Or, Cat's dancing, rather, and Sam's kind of being yanked across the floor until Cat finds the spot where the snow falls the most. Cat grabs Sam's hands, twirling them under it, the snowflakes piling on their heads, and Cat beams brighter than all of the lights, and Sam can't help but think she looks really beautiful.

After awhile, they go to the snack table, mostly for Sam, who stuffs her pockets with candy canes and gingerbread man cookies. She hands Cat one who claps happily, unwrapping it swiftly and sticking it in her mouth with a laugh, bouncing after Sam.

"Let's dance some more," she suggests, tugging on the material of Sam's shirt.

"_Dude_, I need to sit down," Sam tells her with a laugh, grabbing her wrist. "Come on, you're gonna choke on that if you don't stop bouncing around," she warns her, but allows herself to smile at Cat's energy, her absolute and innocent happiness about Christmas, how joyful she is.

She would envy it, wish for it for herself, but she's content with just seeing the beauty of it reflected on someone else.

They're almost close to one of the couches towards the back of the loft when Cat abruptly stops, tugging Sam backwards.

"Cat, what -?"

"Look!" Cat exclaims, pointing up at the ceiling. Above them hangs a mistletoe, twinkling with a small set of Christmas lights, and Cat's beaming at her. "Oh, Sam, we _have _to."

Sam rips her hand away as if it's on fire. "Cat. No."

Cat pouts. "But Sam. You're my date, you have to kiss me," she whines, pulling Sam close to her by her shoulders, so close that Sam can feel her breath on her cheek, can see the small freckles painting the bridge of her nose, her eyes wide and expectant, and if Sam really wanted to, she could pull away, could walk right away from Cat and out that door.

But Cat's staring at her and she's biting her bottom lip nervously and a part of Sam wants to touch her lips, with her fingertips and maybe her own lips, wants to discover what Cat's like when she's really, truly kissed, and it strikes a nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach so deep she almost can't breathe.

Cat looks worried now, her grip on Sam's shoulders loosening. "Sam?"

"Okay," Sam croaks out, embarrassed, her cheeks heating up. "Okay, fine. I'll kiss you."

"Yay!" Cat claps happily. "You are the best date _ever _and I -"

"Yeah, yeah," Sam brushes her off. "Let's just get this over with."

Cat pouts a little, before straightening her back and leaning in. Her warm breath ghosts Sam's lips and slowly yet suddenly her lips are pressed against hers, soft and full, and Sam inhales sharply through her nose, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

Before Sam can respond, Cat pulls away, smiling softly, motioning to go sit down but Sam pulls her back, grabs her face and really kisses her, Cat's mouth falling open in surprise. Sam explores her opportunity, bruising and tasting her lips, her tongue, every crevice of Cat's mouth, sweet like candy canes and homemade gingerbread man cookies. Cat squeaks, gripping Sam's shirt and pulling her impossibly closer, and Sam doesn't know how she hasn't kissed Cat before, can't imagine herself not kissing Cat from this point forward, and she has to pull away before she memorizes every detail of her mouth and her scent and just her.

Her chest is heaving and so is Cat's, her eyes wide with surprise and wonder. She opens her mouth to say something, but no words come out, she only reaches for Sam's hand and intertwines their fingers once again.

Sam clears her throat, licks her dry lips and blinks. "Dance with me."

Cat stares, nods. "Okay."

.

.

Some hours later, they make their way downstairs, most of the party-goers having left already, and Judith smiles at them warmly as they make their way to the door, hand in hand.

"Do you feel any differently about Christmas, Sam?" she asks them at the door, her eyes knowing.

Sam glances at Cat with a smile, squeezing her fingers, before looking back at Judith. "Eh. Maybe a little."


End file.
